Dark Ruins Dawn

Chapter 65 Captive
Chu Ningyan's team was stationed in the vast wilderness.

They did not participate in the suppression of the Apocalypse Cult; their mission was to maintain perimeter security and eliminate any remaining members.

The sounds of gunfire in the distance have been going on for three hours.

Inside the carriage, a young crew member took off his helmet, wiped the sweat from his face, and spoke in an irritable tone.

"Boss, we've been marginalized again."

He looked at Chu Ningyan in the passenger seat: "Harry and his men stole all the credit for the main battle. We can only clean up the small fry in this godforsaken place."

Another group member chimed in, "Yeah, the main force of the Apocalypse Cult has been wiped out. There's no way any of them could have escaped. It's a complete waste of time."

Chu Ningyan's gaze remained fixed on the view outside the window, on the desolate wasteland blackened by the flames of war, her voice very soft.

"I would rather not have those war merits."

She paused, a hint of coldness in her voice: "I can't bring myself to send hundreds of living people to the front lines to be cannon fodder, to be sacrifices."

The carriage fell silent instantly.

The group members all knew that "leader" referred to Harry.

Harry's style of doing things was notorious throughout the entire Sharp Edge Mercenary Group.

He was cruel and bloodthirsty, and would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

This time, he resorted to the same old trick, driving the conscripted scavengers to the front lines, using their flesh and blood to wear down the enemy and trigger hidden traps.

After this battle, Chu Ningyan was completely exhausted, and her physical aversion to Harry reached its peak, so she decided to leave the group.

Late at night, the distant gunfire finally subsided.

Harry's voice came through the communicator, ordering all teams to return to base camp, and only then did Chu Ningyan and her group end their pointless patrol.

A dozen or so bonfires were lit in the camp, illuminating the entire abandoned gas station.

The air was filled with the aroma of roasted meat and the smell of alcohol. There were drunk mercenaries everywhere, and two or three of them were fighting each other, with people nearby trying to break them up.

Chu Ningyan walked into the camp and glanced at the revelers, but didn't see a single scavenger.

She pulled aside a familiar combatant and asked in a low voice.

A hint of reluctance flashed across the man's face as he leaned close to her ear and revealed Harry's tactics in detail.

It turned out that Harry drove all the scavengers deep into the enemy's mine, euphemistically calling it "luring the snake out of its hole."

Then, he ordered his troops to fire indiscriminately from the high ground on both sides, while drones bombarded the area in front.

To ensure no one survived, he ordered all exits to be sealed off and several thermobaric bombs to be dropped into the cave.

The methods were ruthless, leaving no survivors; the mission was a complete success.

Harry stood on the roof of an armored vehicle, next to a pile of more than a dozen Apocalyptic cult leaders.

"Brothers! We've won!"

He raised his glass, his face flushed: "The scum of the Apocalypse Cult has been uprooted! Not a single one left!"

A deafening cheer erupted from the surrounding area.

"We salute those brave warriors! They came from humble beginnings, like dust, but they paved the way for our goal with their lives."

He paused, a perfectly measured expression of grief appearing on his face, as if mourning the deceased.

"Their deaths were worthwhile! They were glorious! Today, we pay tribute to them!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the grief on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a morbid excitement.

He raised his glass again, his voice suddenly rising:

"Now, let's enjoy the fruits of our victory and savor the freshest delicacies! The prey is almost here!"

It was at this moment that Chu Ningyan learned that Harry was going to kill a catwoman that night and invite all officers of the rank of group leader and deputy group leader and above to enjoy it together.

A wave of nausea washed over her, and she could no longer stay. She turned around and prepared to lead her team back to Linhai City.

Just then, a hovercar flew in from a distance and slowly landed in the center of the camp.

The car door opened, and several of Johnson's men, who had lost an arm, carried out a huge iron cage.

Inside the cage, a petite figure was curled up.

Chu Ningyan held her breath.

Despite the girl wearing a mask and covered in blood, she recognized her immediately by her figure and the faded gray clothes she was wearing.

She's that little girl from the fellow villager team.

She walked to a corner, opened the communication panel, and sent out the situation in encrypted language.

The panel showed that the message had been sent, but the other party had not received it; the eerie fog in the wilderness blocked all signals.

A soldier fawned over him, "Boss, this catwoman is really something! You should have a taste tonight!"

Before he could finish speaking, Harry's smile vanished.

Several of Harry's trusted men around him subtly changed their expressions and quietly winked at their subordinate, signaling him to shut up. Captain Harry had suffered an injury in his early years and had a certain unspeakable ailment, making it impossible for him to "stand at attention."

He is most averse to people talking about such things in front of him.

Harry slowly walked down the platform, stood in front of his outspoken subordinate, and patted him on the shoulder affectionately.

"Well said! There's a reward for you!"

Harry grabbed his chin and forcefully twisted it out of place.

"Crack!"

The crisp sound of bone cracking sounded.

The excruciating pain caused the man's eyes to bulge out instantly, and his mouth to open wide, but he couldn't make a sound.

"Can't chew anymore? Too bad, you won't be able to enjoy tonight's feast."

He leaned close to the other person's ear, his voice icy: "Remember this, too much talk leads to mistakes."

There was dead silence.

Harry put on a smile again: "Open the cage."

The iron cage was opened, and a mercenary lifted the unconscious Hua Xin up, as if displaying a trophy.

Harry stepped forward and ripped off her mask, revealing her delicate, pale cat-like face.

Hua Xin opened her eyes and glared at him angrily.

"ha--!"

Her body erupted with astonishing power, and her sharp claws flashed towards Harry's face.

Harry was so frightened that he took several steps back and fell to the ground in a sorry state.

The thug who grabbed Hua Xin wasn't so lucky; he didn't even have time to escape.

"Pfft!"

Hua Xin's claws left five deep, bone-revealing bloody gashes on his throat.

Blood gushed out, and the mercenary clutched his neck, collapsing in disbelief.

"Damn it! You dare to resist!"

Harry got up from the ground, his face contorted with rage.

He took out a stun gun and aimed it at Hua Xin.

"Zi la——!"

Hua Xin's body convulsed violently, and she collapsed to the ground again.

But she wasn't completely unconscious; she was still struggling, staring intently at Harry.

Harry stepped forward, stomped on her head, and slammed her face hard onto the gravel.

“Peel off her skin completely and make it into a cushion.”

With her last burst of strength, Hua Xin flipped over and lunged at Harry once more.

Harry was so frightened that he fell to the ground again.

"Zi——!"

Another surge of high-voltage current caused Hua Xin's body to go limp, and she was knocked unconscious.

Harry looked at her blood-stained clothes and immediately lost all interest, waving his hand impatiently.

"Drag him away! Kill him immediately!"

An overweight chef walked over and asked in a low voice, "Captain, how should we eat this catwoman?"

"Give me some advice."

"Captain, a makeshift kiln and firewood won't do for cooking this kind of top-quality ingredient. The temperature will be uneven, and the meat will easily burn, which would be a waste."

"Oh, so?"

The portly chef explained logically: "We need to rebuild a sealed stone oven and use the best fruitwood charcoal for slow roasting. This will lock in the juices and ensure the meat is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. However..."

"Let the fart go."

“Cutting meat, building the kiln, and burning charcoal take at least two or three hours.”

"There's plenty of time, go and get it done."

The fat chef nodded, bent down, and dragged Hua Xin toward the tent at the back of the camp.

He threw Hua Xin onto the huge chopping board, then picked up a broad-backed machete from the side and began sharpening it on the whetstone, sparks flying everywhere.

(End of this chapter)